On the red carpet: Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman attend the premiere of Australia on Monday in New York City.

By Donna Freydkin, USA TODAY

NEW YORK  Nicole Kidman and Baz Luhrmann go together like sun and Bondi Beach.

She's an Oscar-winning actress who earns some of her most glowing reviews when working with the Australian auteur.

And he's a quirky director with a flair for the dramatic and a zest for the visually stunning.

Their latest joint effort? The epic romance Australia, which opens Wednesday and had its premiere Monday night at the Ziegfeld Theater.

In the film, Kidman's British aristocrat travels Down Under to rescue her property — and becomes entangled with a rough-and-tumble local played by Hugh Jackman.

Kidman, accompanied by her husband, Keith Urban, left daughter Sunday Rose at home to get out in the Manhattan cold and give Luhrmann some red-carpet love.

"He pushes the boundaries. He's such a Renaissance man," Kidman, in Dries Van Noten, said. "He's very dedicated to film. I'd show up and do anything for him. This seemed like fun, and I like to have fun."

Luhrmann says the key to his working relationship with Kidman is simple.

"We have a longevity of relationship. It has deepened over the years," he said.

"We push each other. We have a deep level of trust."

And it doesn't hurt that Kidman, who's known for giving great gifts, recently treated Luhrmann to a Cartier watch with a black leather band.

Jackman, meanwhile, who was recently named People magazine's sexiest man alive, said his stint in the rugged Australian Outback left him feeling decidedly unsexy.

"I'm not sure I was always sexy," Jackman quipped on the red carpet. "I was pretty dirty."

"I promised her some babysitting," Jackman said of his wrap gift to Kidman. "We're neighbors in New York. We live one floor apart. We moved in three weeks ago. We'll have a cup of tea later tonight to debrief."

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